This Tuesday in Without an appointment, doctor Jimmy Mohamed is interested in psoriasis, this inflammation of the skin which is generally characterized by the appearance of small whitish scales on the body.

Red spots which appear, which spread, without necessarily that there are other symptoms ... 1.5 to 3 million French people had the bad surprise to discover that they were suffering from psoriasis, this inflammatory disease of the skin which affects 2 to 3% of the world's population.

In Without appointment, on Europe 1, doctor Jimmy Mohamed takes stock of this pathology which can be very disabling.

What is psoriasis?

Psoriasis is red patches that will be well defined with small whitish scales in a rather symmetrical way, that is to say that it will affect both limbs.

We will have it on the elbows, knees, legs, lower back ... And then we can also have it in the scalp or even the nails.

In 20-30% of cases you have joint signs, with psoriatic arthritis and people with joint pain.

What are the causes of psoriasis? 

At the origin of psoriasis, there can be triggering factors, with emotional stress, anxiety ... But it can also be observed in people who have a genetic predisposition: there is a somewhat hereditary part and in 30% of cases we find precisely a favorable family ground.

Otherwise, it is believed that there are also infectious factors, after an episode of classic nasopharyngitis for example. 

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It is known that certain drugs such as beta blockers, treatments for high blood pressure called ACE inhibitors, or lithium which can be given in bipolar disorder, can also trigger the disease.

There are therefore many factors that will lead to this inflammation of the skin.

What are the treatments for psoriasis?

If you try to control the disease, you still cannot cure psoriasis.

But there are several lines of treatment: first we will give emollients to hydrate and get rid of this superficial layer of the skin which tends to regenerate.

We will put a fatty substance with petroleum jelly and a little stripper for example.

Topical corticosteroids are also sometimes used.

And then when the treatments do not work, we also resort to immunotherapy and we will target molecules called TNFs, which make it possible to control the disease.

So if you have this pathology, go see your doctor, because there are plenty of solutions.